Reading Rocks!

Wrapping up Disgrace

I have to say, I absolutely loved Disgrace. In a lot of ways, this book is about not understanding others. Opposition is everywhere; between men vs. women, blacks vs. whites, old vs. young and humans vs. animals. You can definitely tell that this subject matter is meaningful to Coetzee and that he is speaking from his personal experience living in South Africa. Coetzee's central theme is that history can not be escaped, whether it be personal mistakes or the atrocities of nation.

Comments on Coetzee and the Nobel Prize:
Not only is the Nobel Prize in Literature "the supreme acknowledgment of literary talent. It also recognizes the moral integrity and universal significance of one's work...Coetzee has been concerned with important moral issues . . ., including apartheid and race relations in his native South Africa, human rights, animal rights, and social and political injustice...He is also widely respected for his intellectual courage and honesty in posing such questions as, 'What do we do in the face of terror?'and for suggesting the devastating truth that lies in the possible answers to those questions."

Below are some links, related to the book:
* Lord Byron
* William Wordsworth
* South Africa
* Reading Guides: click here or here

Next up, Shadow of the Wind.

posted by MJ @ 8:42 a.m.